Gravity (2013) - ★★★★½

Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Writers: Alfonso Cuaron, Jonas Cuaron
Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Paul Sharma

Gravity is the first film from 2013 that has captured my total love and adoration. Deep down, I'd be so happy for this film to win Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards. It's one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen (it makes my Top 10 easily). It was so thrilling, the tissue I held in my hand throughout the movie ended up melting because of the sweat! My fists were clenched, my heart was beating fast, and man did my emotions go on a wild ride during the sensational outer-space experience. The drought of masterpieces is over in 2013! It makes me so glad to say that! As much as I loved this film, it does have its cheesy flaws. But like I always say, it's the emotional journey the movie takes you on that really counts, and man, this movie really took me on a memorable journey.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) - ★★★½

Director: Stephen Daldry
Writers: Eric Roth (Screenplay), Jonathan Safran Foer (Novel)
Stars: Thomas Horn, Max Von Sydow, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Caldwell

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close didn't manage to pull at my heartstrings. What it did do however was make me extremely intrigued in the story of an autistic boy on a mission. Everything with Thomas Horn and Max Von Sydow was absolute gold. The chemistry these two had was beyond words. I found myself absolutely enthralled in the adventure of Oscar (Thomas Horn). It seemed like the film was split into two different sections. One was the awesome tale of an autistic kid trying to keep the memory of his father alive, and the other is the sadness of the 9/11 terrorist attack. While the story of this kid's struggle is amazing, the film falls flat whenever they focus on 9/11.