Gravity

I drew the short stick for this one, the third and final secret screening of the fest.  Tucked into a broom closet theater, we were relatively certain this was Gravity up to the moment when Sandra Bullock appeared on screen.  (Alas, despite being a resident Austinite, she was filming in Canada and could only send a video greeting.)  What followed was perhaps the best use of 3D imagery I've seen.  The film felt much shorter than the 90 minutes it was billed, as it drives the whole time non-stop towards the inevitable conclusion, barely slowing for a smattering of character development.

Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a science specialist on the latest mission of the space shuttle Explorer, when disaster strikes: a Russian missile test creates Kessler-like high-speed debris, shredding the shuttle and anything else in its path.  Ryan and shuttle commander Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are the only survivors, tethered together in space, with the only goal to return safely to Earth.

Gravity
2013, 91 minutes, directed by Alfonso Cuarón